IT appears that waste is good.

More than that, it is to be encouraged rather than discouraged, despite the extent to which it is universally decried.

This is proved time and again on my regular excursions to buy the necessities of life.

The recent panic buying epidemic – caused by an even greater pandemic – saw millions of people buying more than they required. A needless exercise in excess. Resulting in mounds of garbage bags filled with the unconsumed and rotting waste that inevitably soon accrued.

The panic buying has now largely eased. But the waste remains as prevalent as ever. We are still being forced into buying more than we need, or can use before the rot sets in.

Further, we are widely prevented from keeping to budgets and menu requirements by the way goods are packaged and marketed. Buying and spending against our will.

Take the humble hummus into which I dip a selection of raw vegetables (the five-a-day regimen) as a pre-dinner snack. Not a huge portion is required to provide tasty satisfaction in balance with the overall meal. Therefore, not much of a daily dent is made in the 100gm sold as the supermarket norm.

Definitely not enough to ensure I comply with the instruction to ‘consume within three days’ of opening.

So far I have ignored this deadline and dipped on regardless until the container is empty, going well beyond the stated use-by date as well.

More cautious souls may well dispose of the remains far earlier, thus compounding society’s mounting mountain of needless waste.

Zucchinis come as plastic wrapped threesomes. big brutes that darken and soften well before they can all be eaten. Likewise those crisp white heads of celery that become floppy and brown far too soon to match my appetite. Cucumbers turn to watery mush, tomatoes become more suited to sauce than salad.

Fancy a pork chop? You can have six, but not one. Eat one, freeze the rest – good advice but one soon runs out of space.

Everything is catering for families or big eaters (obesity, anyone?). The rest of us are fated to seek mealtime inspiration from the contents of our fridge that are far from the “fresh” food the supermarkets promote and which are destined more often for waste bin than oven.

Hummus anyone?